The Verkhovna Rada has passed today the following draft bills to presently emerge as full-blown pieces of legislation:
- Bill No.2654 – the first reading of the draft Law of Ukraine “On amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine (concerning harsher security of telecommunications networks)”.
The bill was designed to prevent damage to or destruction of telecommunications networks that might cause violating the integrity of telecommunication facilities and detriment to owners of such facilities.
To attain the goal, the newly redrafted clause 360 of Ukraine’s criminal code provides for severe penal responsibility for willful damage to or destruction of telecom facilities provided such actions have brought about discontinuance of the telecommunications services supply. Restraint of liberty (one- to three-year term) or imprisonment (for the same term) or pecuniary penalty (1,000 to 3,000 minimum tax-free income of resident individuals) are also provided for by the draft bill.
Likewise, the redrafted clause 147 of Ukraine’s administrative offenses code now punishes violations of the rules of protection of telecommunication networks (provided such actions have not brought about discontinuance of the telecommunications services supply) with pecuniary penalty: (i) 100 to 200 minimum tax-free incomes of resident individuals – for private individuals, while (ii) 300 to 400 minimum tax-free incomes – for public officials.
The law shall enter into force on the day following its official promulgation.
- Bill No.2653 – the Law of Ukraine “On amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine regarding the determination of territories and administrative centres of territorial communities”.
The law alters the Law of Ukraine “On local government in Ukraine” by introducing some new definitions like “an administrative centre of a territorial community”, “territory of a territorial community”, etc.
Unless and until the law on the administrative-territorial structure of Ukraine is adopted, this is the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine that determines administrative centres of territorial communities and approves territories of territorial communities. Appropriate decisions of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine are to be submitted to the Central Election Commission. Respective changes have been made to the Law of Ukraine “On voluntary amalgamation of territorial communities”.
Determination of administrative centres of territorial communities and approval of territories of territorial communities are carried out on the basis of forward territory-formation plans of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, oblasts (regions) approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
In 2020, the first local elections of deputies of village, settlement, and city councils - territories of which have been approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, - are to be held in parallel with regular local elections.
The Central Election Commission has been encharged with ensuring the formation of voting districts and holding local elections based on the territories of territorial communities defined by the Cabinet of Ministers.
The ministers are commissioned with bringing their regulations into conformity with this law within a month following its effectiveness; as well as preparing and submitting to the parliament for consideration a range of bills on dismantling and forming rayons (districts) within three months following the law’s taking effect.
The law shall enter into force on the day following its official promulgation.
- The bill No.1043 – the Law of Ukraine “On amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine as to opposing abuses of parliamentarians’ rights in the legislative procedure” (second reading).
The law complements Rada’s rules of procedure with a new clause 1191 allowing it to apply a special review procedure to second reading bills with a slew of amendments/proposals submitted – exceeding at least five times (or more) the number of items of the initial bill. This special procedure could be applied through a proposal signed by at least a tierce of the constitutional composition of the Verkhovna Rada, approved by a parliament’s decision taken at a plenary sitting by a majority vote.
The law shall enter into force on the day following its official promulgation.
- The bill No.0034 – the Law of Ukraine “On the ratification of the E5P Fund Grant Agreement (Ukraine Higher Education Project) between Ukraine and the European Investment Bank”. The treaty was signed in Brussels on December 17, 2018.
Ukraine will be granted EUR 10 mn to finance a project for the reconstruction of existing educational, research and supporting facilities of public higher education institutions to improve their energy efficiency and create other non-energy-related educational investments.
The aims are to reduce the running costs of Ukraine's public higher-education institutions and to improve the quality of material conditions for teaching, learning and academic studies. The project should be accomplished by mid-December 2022.